Off-Site Film: LACMA9 Shorts Program

Friday, January 31, 2014 | 7 pm

Total running time: 79 minutes

In conjunction with the Monterey Park Art+Film Lab presented by LACMA, watch a diverse selection of films—shorts, independents, and international films that are sure to capture your imagination. All screenings take place in the recital hall of the Performing and Fine Arts Center.

Short films are nimble shape shifters, embodying a latitude of expression that longer works often cannot. LACMA9 presents a collection of all ages-friendly shorts, from beloved children's classics to auteur films celebrating people and places.

Daybreak Express1953, five minutes, rated GDirected by D. A. PennebakerA vivid, kaleidoscopic, and kinetic trek through former New York City El train lines set to a Duke Ellington score.

Olivia's Place1966, six minutes, rated G, 16 mmDirected by Thom AndersenAn intimate portrait of the patrons, workers, and objects inside Olivia’s Place, a long-defunct Santa Monica diner. Aware the diner would soon be gone, Andersen captured its essence in this series of moments, as tribute.

Kristallnacht1979, six minutes, not rated, 16 mmDirected by Chick StrandA haunting black-and-white film dedicated to the memory of Anne Frank. The abstract, shimmering water hints at images of the film’s namesake catastrophe.

The Sound We See: A Los Angeles City Symphony2010, 28 minutes, not ratedCreated by the Echo Park Film Center Shot on Super 8 black-and-white film, this is a cinematic exploration of Los Angeles’s many environments and landscapes. A 2010 collaboration between the Los Angeles City Symphony and the Echo Park Film Center (a local nonprofit), the short film is the masterwork of youth who spent over 14 weeks capturing the dynamic sights and sounds of their neighborhoods. The film opens with the young filmmakers’ proclamation “This is my city!” and is over in the blink of an eye.

Red Balloon1956, 34 minutes, rated GDirected by Albert Lamorisse French, with English subtitlesFilmed in Paris’s Ménilmontant neighborhood, this newly restored fantasy featurette remains one of the most beloved children’s films of all time. Follow a young boy’s fable-like adventures with a voiceless balloon as they become nearly inseparable on the streets of Paris.

East Los Angeles College, Monterey ParkFree and open to the publicNote: East Los Angeles College is located at 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park, CA 91754